Submerged feathering paddle-wheel.



L. VOJABK. SUBMERGED FEATHERING PADDLB WHEEL.

APPLICATION TILED FEB. 8, 1906.

Patented Mar. 2, 1909.

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L. VOJAEK. SUBMEBGED PEATHERING PADDLE WHEEL.

nrmonxon 21mm ran. e, 1906.

913,787, Patented Mar. 2, 1909.

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VOJAEEK. SUBMERGBD PEATHERING PADDLE WHEEL.

AYPLIOATION FILED P313. 8, 1906.

Patented Mar. 2, 1909.

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SUBMBRGBD FEATHERING PADDLE WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED rm. a, 1900.

91 3,787, Patented Mar; 2, 1909.

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LADISLAV voJAoEK, or PRAGUE, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

SUBMERGED FEATHERING IPADDLE-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 2, 1909.

Application filed February 8, 1906. Serial No. 300,127.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LADISLAV V oJZiCEK, a subject of the Emperor ofAustria-Hungary, residing in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, in the AustroHungarian Empire, have invented new and useful Submerged FeatheringPaddle-Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in submerged feathering paddlewheels of the type illustrated in T. A. Cooks U. S. Letters Patent No.296,728; and the objects of my invention are, first, to make thepropeller practically applicable to vessels of all kinds and to variousdepths of water; secondly, to enable it to be used not only as apropeller but as a steering medium and this, moreover, without changingthe direction of rotation of its motor; third, to enable it to work evenin water containing material which would entangle or obstruct the usualpropellers if they were open or exposed.

I have illustrated my invention, in several adaptations thereof, in theaccompanying drawings, wherein,

Figures 1 and 2 are diagrammatic views illustratin the propelling andsteering operations; ig. 3 is a side view, partly in section, of anotherform of my invention; Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of what isseen in Fig. 3 taken just above the meeting plane of two parts of acertain gear casing 20; Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate different types ofblades or paddles; Fig. 7 shows a construction in which the drivingmotor is directly connected with the mechanism; Fig. 8 is a view in sideelevation, partly in section, of another form of my invention; Fig. 9 isa horizontal sectional view on Fig. 8 taken just above the meeting planeof the parts of the gear casing 20 Fig. 10 is a View in side elevation,partly in section, of substantially the same ind of paddle wheel as isshown in Figs. 8 and 9, in another form.

Referring, first, to Figs. 1 and 2, let 1 designate the main axis of thepropeller and 2, 3 and 4 the axes of paddles 6, 7 and 8 arrangedequidistantly from each other and from the axis 1, the same being gearedtogether and with the axis 1 in such manner that if the whole systemrevolves around axis 1 in either direction for a certain number ofrevolutions each paddle will rotate around its own axis in the oppositedirection only half the number of revolutions of the whole. The resultwill be that each paddle, in rotating around the axis 1, will in eachsuch complete revolution once assume a position in which it lies in aradius from the axis 1, and the point where this occurs will be the samefor all the paddles. If the center gear of the train of gearing, i. 0.,the gear on the axis 1 remains non-rotary the point at which the bladesassume the position stated will never change; but if said gear can beturned in either direction the point referred to may be shiftedrelatively to the axis so that the blades, as the whole system rotatesaround the axis 1, can be made to assume the radial position in anyradius from axis 1. For instance, in Fig. 1, with the whole systemrotating in the direction of the arrow, the blade 8 will exert arearward pressure as indicated by the arrow leading therefrom, thuspropolling the boat forward; in Fig. 2, withthe whole system rotating inthe direction of the arrow this being the same direction as in Fig. 1the blade 8 will exert pressure in the direction of the arrow leadingtherefrom and therefore propel the vessel rearwardly; and if the gear on1 is shifted in either direction rotatively, so the point at which theblade 8 will stand in a radius from the axis 1 will be shiftedrotatively, thus providing for the blade 8 exerting pressure more orless in a lateral direction, which will of course be then useful insteering.

In carrying out this principle, and referring to Figs. 3 to 6,insuitable brackets 1718 at the stern of the vessel 16 are journaledvertically a hollow shaft 9 inclosing a shaft 1. The propeller comprisesblades 6 and 7 each rotatable on its own axis and around the shaft 1,which latter effect is produced by rotating shaft 1 which carries withit the casing 20 in which the gearing for rotating each blade on its ownaxis is disposed and which forms a part of the rotating structure and inwhich the blades are individually journaled. The propelling energy maybe derived from any suitable source, through a belt, (not shown) adaptedto be placed around the pulley 10. 14 is a pulley on shaft 9 which maybe suitably connected by an endless belt or the like, (not shown) withthe steering wheel (not shown) of the vessel. On an extension of theshaft 9 is a gear 0 within the casing 20 and the blades 6 and 7 havegears 23 and 24 inclosed in the casing and meshing with gear 0. Themotor being in operation, as each blade is turned to a radial positionwith relation to shaft 1 it will exert a pressure and move the vesseland the point at which the blades assume this radial position may bechanged for the purpose of steering the vessel by altering, rotatively,the position of shaft 9.

Figs. 5 and 6 show other forms which the blades 6 and 7 may have.

In Figs. 8 and 9 9 is the power shaft and 1 the steering shaft, thelatter carrying the gear 0 and the former the gear casing 20.

Except that the pulley 14 is arranged on the shaft 1 and the power istransmitted to shaft 9 from a suitable motor through a shaft 31 andbevel gearing 29 and 30 arranged in the casing 32, the construction hereshown is substantially the same as that already described.

In Fig. 7, 9 is the steering shaft and 25 an explosion engine used todrive the power shaft (not shown).

It will be obvious that, as shown in Fig. 10, the arrangement shown inFig. 8 may be made reciprocal, 1" being the steering shaft and carryingthe central gear in the casing 20 so that the construction remainssubstantially the same. The hollow shaft 9 is much shorter and does notreach higher than the beveled wheel transmission. The tube 9 which inits outward appearance resembles the tube 9 in Fig. 8 does not rotatebut forms one piece with the casing 32", the latter being substantiallythe same as the casing 32 in Fig. 8.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination in a vessel, of a propelling means dependingtherefrom andbeing free or clear below, said means comprising, a rotaryinclosed casing, a plurality of blades orpaddles journaled in saidcasing, a central gear inclosed by said casing, other gears inclosed bysaid casing and connecting said blades or paddles with the central gear,each blade being supported at one end in said casing and having itsother end free or clear, a shaft, a hollow shaft inclosing saidfirstnamed shaft, said shafts carrying the one the central gear and theother the casing, and means for rotating said shafts independently ofeach other, said blades or paddles depending from the casing and beingfree and clear at the sides and bottoms thereof, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination of a stationary casing, a rotary inclosed casingarranged below the stationary casing, a hollow shaft penetrating thestationary casing and carrying the rotary casing, bevel gearing,inclosed in the'station ary casing, for rotating said shaft and therotary casing, a plurality of blades or paddles journaled in the rotarycasing, a central gear inclosed by the rotary casing, other gearsinclosed by said rotary casing and connecting the blades or paddles withthe central gear, a shaft carrying said central gear and penetrating thehollow shaft and means for rotating said last-named shaft, substantiallyas described.

3. The combination in a vessel, of a propelling means dependingtherefrom and being free or clear below, said means comprising, aplurality of rotary blades or paddles, a rotary disk-shaped casing, eachblade or paddle being journaled at one end in said casing and being freeor clear at its other end, gearing in said casing connecting saidpaddles, and concentric shafts operatively connected the one with saidcasing and the other with said gearing, substantially as described.

a. The combination in a vessel, of a propelling means dependingtherefrom and being free or clear below, said means comprising, two ormore blades or paddles mounted in flying position upon a rotary diskcasing and journaled in said casing, with a gearing in said inclosedcasing which rotates said paddles with half the number of turns and inopposite directions of how the whole paddle wheel is rotated around itscentral axis, the paddle wheel having two concentric shafts as shown,one of which is rotated for propelling and the others for steering,independently of each other, the mean peripheral velocity of the paddlebeing higher than twice the velocity of the vessel, all substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LADISLAV voJAcEK.

lVitnesses:

ARTHUR SOHEWZ, ANTONIN YEDLIoKA.

